Connecting Wi-Fi on 5G system

thedudeabides

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34
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
I got my bull last week and was frustrated that i couldn't connect it because my wi-fi is all 5G or whatever. I heard lots of answers on how to make it connect in my situation, but i really couldn't comprehend some of the tech mumbo jumbo. I have AT&T internet and realized that if i create a guest network, then it will only run on the 2.4. I set up a quick guest network and then connected my phone to my guest network as opposed to my main, and boom it connected. Not sure if all services/routers run the 2.4 on guest networks, but the router that AT&T provided for me only ran on the 2.4, so that was the fix. Hopefully this helps someone who will be receiving their unit soon! Cheers.
 
AT&T modem/router have both 2.4 and 5.0 built into them. Out of the box they run together switching between the two for the best overall performance. Since they both have the same name, you have to "split" them so they run separately. This is because RT has set up their system to run on the 2.4 only because 2.4 provides better range from router than the 5.0. If you are tech savy, you can split them. Otherwise your work around will suffice. I split mine to run separately.
 
FWIW: This is wireless system specific. I run the same SSID on 2.4G and 5G and my RT-700 connects just fine. I did not have to separate them. I'm using a Ubiquiti Unifi 802.11AC system.
 
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If you have a router that auto switches between bands , all you have to do is completely disconnect and forget your wifi on your phone or smart device and walk outside away from your router (ideally with your grill near) and then reconnect to your wifi fresh. You will auto connect to the 2.4 due to the distance. When you walk back in your phone will kick over to the 5.0 but grill will remain on 2.4. That was the easiest way I was able to connect. Might help others in a similar situation, as well. Worth noting I am using a stock AT&T router.
 
If you have a router that auto switches between bands , all you have to do is completely disconnect and forget your wifi on your phone or smart device and walk outside away from your router (ideally with your grill near) and then reconnect to your wifi fresh. You will auto connect to the 2.4 due to the distance. When you walk back in your phone will kick over to the 5.0 but grill will remain on 2.4. That was the easiest way I was able to connect. Might help others in a similar situation, as well. Worth noting I am using a stock AT&T router.
This is how I was able to get my bull to connect
 
I separated out the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz in the router settings. You just need to rename them to different names. Obviously easier said than done for a non tech person. RecTeq has a great tech guy so I would call.

I know with AT&T to get into the router, you put in a certain IP address into your browser and login with the password on the router. Look this process up on the net and you should be able to do it.
 
I separated out the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz in the router settings. You just need to rename them to different names. Obviously easier said than done for a non tech person. RecTeq has a great tech guy so I would call.

I know with AT&T to get into the router, you put in a certain IP address into your browser and login with the password on the router. Look this process up on the net and you should be able to do it.
That is true if your router has that function. For some reason Netgear didn't put that in their Orbi system. I had to unplug all my satellites so that the grill was too far away to connect using 5ghz so it had to use the 2.4ghz. Once it connected I could plug my satellites back in. Since 1 of the satellites is only a few feet from the RT700 I get great reception and I've never seen it drop. I get all my alerts which seems to be an issue for some people. I was actually on vacation this past week and got alerts on my iwatch that the grill had been turned on and turned off (son was cooking hotdogs).

I think if I hack the orbi and run third party software that it might have the ability to separate out the 5 and 2.4ghz channels but I don't feel like messing with it. It is weird that the RT has so many issues with connecting on initial setup but all my other gadgets that only use 2.4ghz have never had an issue setting them up.
 
It is weird that the RT has so many issues with connecting on initial setup but all my other gadgets that only use 2.4ghz have never had an issue setting them up.

I don't know the inner workings of the apps, but I believe one of the wifi issues is that the app verifies you're on a 2.4G SSID before it passes the credentials to the grill to connect/join. If your phone is on a 5G, the app doesn't list the SSID as available to configure on your grill. I believe it's making an assumption that if you're on 5G, then 2.4G isn't available. IMO, that's a bad assumption. I use band-steering, where my AP tries to force you to 5G, but it only does this if the client supports 2.4G AND 5G.

What I'd like are some advanced check boxes / options in the initial setup to force configurations I know will work. I'd also appreciate some explicit firewall requirements listed somewhere, but I already have a thread on that elsewhere.

I'm not sure there'd be fewer wifi complaints if they omitted this 5G/2.4G assumption, because then you can have 5G only SSIDs trying to be configured on the 2.4G grill.

The better solution is to have a grill that supports 2.4G AND 5G.
 
The better solution is to have a grill that supports 2.4G AND 5G.
Why? A 5 GHz wifi signal doesn't travel nearly as far as 2.4 GHz, and range is a big priority since these units are used outdoors. Even with 2.4 GHz, many folks need to add an extender to make a connection. The grills will never come close to needing the bandwidth a 5 GHz signal offers either. The bigger number doesn't mean better for this application.

That being said, I could see enhancing the app to improve the experience of configuring the connection. I own other smart devices that make it a smoother process. But I've never wished I could use 5 GHz to control a light bulb, switch, or robot vacuum...
 
Why? A 5 GHz wifi signal doesn't travel nearly as far as 2.4 GHz, and range is a big priority since these units are used outdoors.

Because the 5G spectrum can have a lot less interference, because it travels less far! I have pervasive 5G coverage throughout my house and property. If it weren't for 2 Carrier thermostats and this Recteq grill, I'd shut down my 2.4G spectrum all together.

Even with 2.4 GHz, many folks need to add an extender to make a connection. The grills will never come close to needing the bandwidth a 5 GHz signal offers either.

All 3 of my 2.4G (non overlapping) channels have a normal channel utilization ranging from 40-50% before I add any clients. There's simply too much interference and too many neighbors with full power 2.4 transmitters.

The bigger number doesn't mean better for this application.

I know the differences between 2.4 and 5G, it's my day job. What I'm suggesting is a grill controller that supports both spectrums; that provides more connectivity options for customers than only supporting 2.4. It also covers situations where 2.4 is too crowded to be usable, and 5G is available.


But I've never wished I could use 5 GHz to control a light bulb, switch, or robot vacuum...

I wish I could use 5G for everything, almost daily. The 2.4G spectrum is far too crowded and I need/want more than 3 non overlapping channels.
 
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I'd say you're in the minority in terms of network setup; a significant percentage of customers don't have that sophistication. Few folks are likely to have 5 GHz coverage that reaches outside to their cooking location. The band has advantages but many are wasted in this application.
 
After using an off set wood smoker for a few years I went with the RT340 which I love. It is much easier to control the temperature. I got the wifi working but really see no reason for using it and no longer do use it. Part of the fun is walking out to monitor the grill & grabbing another brewsky from the cooler. I am not really into the high tech stuff. For me, sometimes less is more.
 
After using an off set wood smoker for a few years I went with the RT340 which I love. It is much easier to control the temperature. I got the wifi working but really see no reason for using it and no longer do use it. Part of the fun is walking out to monitor the grill & grabbing another brewsky from the cooler. I am not really into the high tech stuff. For me, sometimes less is more.

I've even labored through entire smokes without wifi.
 
I got my bull last week and was frustrated that i couldn't connect it because my wi-fi is all 5G or whatever. I heard lots of answers on how to make it connect in my situation, but i really couldn't comprehend some of the tech mumbo jumbo. I have AT&T internet and realized that if i create a guest network, then it will only run on the 2.4. I set up a quick guest network and then connected my phone to my guest network as opposed to my main, and boom it connected. Not sure if all services/routers run the 2.4 on guest networks, but the router that AT&T provided for me only ran on the 2.4, so that was the fix. Hopefully this helps someone who will be receiving their unit soon! Cheers.
The Rec Teq piggybacks off of whatever wireless network your mobile device is using, so the easiest way around this is to make sure that your mobile device connects to the 2.4GHz frequency of your dual-band network. Some routers support creating separate networks for 5GHz and 2.4GHz, but if yours doesn’t (like my Orbi), you can get around this by taking your mobile device far enough away from the router so that it drops off the 5GHz and joins the 2.4GHz instead.

In my case, I positioned myself in the back yard so that the Bull was between me and my downstairs router. I then turned off WiFi on my iPhone, waited a few seconds, turned WiFi back on and my phone joined the 2.4GHz network because that signal has greater range than the 5GHz. After that, I was able to follow the procedure to get connected, no problem!

BTW, like with all IoT devices, I’d recommend connecting to a guest network if your router supports creating one. The grill only needs to connect to the internet, rather than directly to your mobile device, so there’s no need to put it on your regular network. Being on guest will prevent the grill from being able to connect to any other device on your regular network, which is better from a security standpoint in the unlikely event you get hacked.
 
I had to spend far too many hours today getting my RT1250 set up on my wifi. My router set-up doesn't allow separating 2.4 and 5 GHz and my location makes it tough to not have my phone connect to 5 GHz when approaching the smoker. Anyway, now that I finally got it working can I unplug my RT between cooks and have all the wifi and app settings remain? No way in hell I'm going through this process every time I plug in the RT.
 
I had to spend far too many hours today getting my RT1250 set up on my wifi. My router set-up doesn't allow separating 2.4 and 5 GHz and my location makes it tough to not have my phone connect to 5 GHz when approaching the smoker. Anyway, now that I finally got it working can I unplug my RT between cooks and have all the wifi and app settings remain? No way in hell I'm going through this process every time I plug in the RT.
Yes
 

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